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Faircliff
Faircliff, Maine is a fictional town in author Lela Richmond's Delambre Universe. Geography Faircliff is located in Cumberland County, Maine at approximately 43° 33.59448' N, -70° 12' 30" W. It is less than one mile southwest of Crescent Cove/Kettle Beach State Park. The closest cities/large towns are Portland, South Portland, and Scarborough. Faircliff itself encompasses approximately 7.2 miles, is 62 ft. above sea level, and extends to the point between Seal Cove and Richmond Island Harbor. History The area that would become known as Faircliff was originally settled in about 1624/5 by a group of immigrants from England and Ireland. Their ship had originally landed near Massachusetts Bay, but a group of young adults split early from their fellow travelers and headed northward. The unofficial leader of the settlers was 18-year-old Benjamin Delambre. He, along with his sibling Miranda, Victoria, Noah, and Samuel, had sailed for the New World with their father, Phillip Delambre, who perished during the voyage. It was 17-year-old Miranda Delambre who suggested the name Fairview for the settlement, and it was known by that designation until 1633, when it was renamed Faircliff. During the American Revolution, the populating of Faircliff overwhelmingly took the patriot side, and several homes and at least one warehouse in the town served as armories and weapons caches for the cause. During the Civil War, most of the young men of Faircliff went to fight for the Union in various Maine regiments. Those who were not able to fight, as well as the older men, kept the Delambre Shipyard and Cannery running, providing both ships and food for the Union. Though the Delambre Shipyard had almost been closed down before the U.S. entered World War I, it remained open long enough to manufacture several small gunboats. Faircliff was a known landing and drop-off point for several rumrunners during Prohibition, and boasted no less than three speakeasies. Somehow, the town managed to escape some of the worst problems of the Depression era. A good many jobless men came to the town because Reginald Delambre and his son Thomas were known for their generosity and their willingness to help the men find work. This continued into the early 1940s. When the U.S. entered World War II, the old buildings which were once the home of the Delambre Shipyard were temporarily reopened and turned into a munitions factory. The cannery devoted a large part of its operations to the production and packing of military rations. Since the 1950s, Faircliff has become more and more prosperous. It is said by some almost to have retained the quaint beauty of that time period while the homes and businesses have marched ahead into the modern age. Important Citizens Faircliff has been the home of a good many important individuals within the Delambre Universe besides the members of the Delambre family. *Frank Barrettson, author of The Running Glide, was born at 124 Rand Street. *Morris Davin, co-founder of Arivial Steel, grew up in a series of apartments in the neighborhoods of Back Pier and Sorrell Loop. Government Faircliff has always been run via town meetings and the election of a board of selectmen. The Delambre family, as major landowners and employers in the area, still holds much sway over politics. Industry and Economy Faircliff's economy is currently built on a bustling summer tourist trade, as well as Delambre Mills and the Delambre Fine Seafood Cannery. The cannery, in turn, relies on a family-owned fishing fleet as well as a number of local independant fishermen who have contracts to sell a portion of their daily catch to the business. There was also briefly, from the late 18th to late 19th centuries, a small shipyard operating near the town which even supplied some ships to the Union side during the Civil War. Allan Delambre, the current head of the various Delambre family businesses, has shown interest in possibly opening a new shipyard to take government contracts.